


Guns for Hands

by lostonthisisland



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Death, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 06:36:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3199127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostonthisisland/pseuds/lostonthisisland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh's first and last word.</p><p>(very dark fic)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guns for Hands

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry. sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry. I feel like an asshole writing this. Just don't read it. It's no good.

Josh's first word was 'Hi'. Not surprisingly, really. It's a common first word for babies, but Josh always found it to be a rather boring bit of information about himself. He wished it had been something cooler.

 

He's thinking about this in class only because he'd been talking about it with his mom the night before. They'd been going through his baby book which had fallen out of the cabinet in the living room when they were spring cleaning.

 

He doesn't know why he's thinking about this now. Probably because he's bored. There was ten minutes left of history class and Josh was counting the minutes, wondering what his best friend was doing right now. Tyler had math class first period.

 

When class is over, Josh grabs his things and makes a beeline for the library. He's got a free period and a research project due next week.

 

Josh is sitting at a table in the back when it happens.

 

A long series of pops somewhere down the hall. He glances up and meets the confused look of another student in the library.

 

Before he can question what the noise is, it happens again. This time the noise is followed by screams.

 

Josh's heart flies to his throat, automatically assuming the worst. Someone has a gun. Someone is shooting up the school.

 

One of the teachers in the library tells everyone to stay calm and don't move as she checks out the noise. The few students in the library start talking in hushed voices and Josh feels his ears pound at the words.

 

" _Was that a gun_?"

 

" _Oh my god, what was that_?"

 

" _Is someone shooting people out there_?"

 

It's painfully quiet outside the library doors for a long time and a thousand thoughts fly through Josh's head.

 

_Oh my god. Am I going to die? Jesus Christ. Was that really a gun? Please no. Where's_ _Tyler_ _? Is he OK? Am I going to die?_

They're all standing in the middle of the room, Josh and about six other students in the library. He recognizes two of them from his grade. Diane Heathers and Travis Lehne. Neither he would really consider being friends with. The other kids he doesn't know by name.

 

A boy from the senior class starts to say something when a series of loud pops ring through the hallway again and Diane screams. The gunshots were too loud and way too close.

 

Josh runs to the back of the library and hides under a desk, his heart beating so loud in his ears he can't listen to the noises in the room. His panic blinds him as he crouches and focuses on his breathing, having no idea if everybody else ran and hid as well. Having no idea if the gunman is in the library right now. Having no idea if he's going to live.

 

Josh swallows and tries to calm himself down, tries to steady the shaking in his hands, in his arms and legs. He hears kids in the library whispering but he can't make out what their saying.

 

His thoughts drift back to Tyler for a moment and he wonders if his friend is even alive right now. He chokes back a sob at the thought, slapping his hand over his mouth and trying to hold everything in and be quiet and still.

 

Time passes.

 

It feels like forever that drags by before Josh hears the doors to the library thrown open and a gun cocking in the silence of the room.

 

And Josh feels his whole body trembling like a leaf.

 

Someone cries out toward the front of the room and the sound of spraying bullets hits Josh's ears. He hears them hit wood, shatter glass, and bury into something that sounds pumpkin-hard heavy.

 

There's screaming too. The kind of screaming Josh has never heard before, complete animalistic and terror-filled sounds.

 

Snot and tears are trailing down his face. His sweaty palm is still clamped over his mouth and he takes a moment in the noise of people dying and gunshots flying to breathe.

 

When the noise stops he holds his breath and waits. Hoping, praying, _begging_ for the gunman to turn and leave.

 

For the first time Josh notices a table off to his left, Travis Lehne cowering beneath it. They meet eyes across the room and Josh sees his own fear reflected back at him.

 

Then he hears heavy shoes on soft carpeting and his heart doubles its pace. Between the legs of chairs he sees dark combat boots and black pants.

 

The gunman slowly strides into view, a long semi-automatic held loosely at his side. All his clothes are dark, from the boots to the gloves to the black ski-mask he wears over his face.

 

Josh's breath is tight in his chest as he watches the gunman stop at Travis' table and slowly lean down. He hears Travis start to plead, his words choked off by hiccupping tears before the gunman points his weapon under the table and squeezes the trigger. A handful of loud bursts erupt and Josh watches Travis' body crumple to the carpet, soaking it with dark blood.

 

The gunman straightens up and turns toward Josh's table and Josh knows it's over. He sees his death and he's fucking terrified.

 

He debates crawling out from under the table, trying to run, trying to grab the gun out of the guy's hands. He envisions himself becoming a hero in the time it takes the gunman to walk over and bend down to look at him.

 

Josh sees dark eyes regard him beneath the ski mask before the gunman straightens up again and Josh waits, eyes wide open and unable to look away, for the muzzle of the gun to point under the table.

 

Instead, the entire table is lifted and flipped off of him. He lets out a yell at the shock of the action before allowing himself to look back up at the face of his killer. At that ugly ski mask.

 

The gun is still held loosely at the guy's side and Josh is confused until the gunman reaches out and pulls off his mask.

 

Josh feels fresh tears well up in his eyes as he looks up at the killer's face.

 

" _Tyler_?"

 

His best friend's face is cold and emotionless. Josh is still trying to piece things together, still trying to understand this turn of events when Tyler lifts the gun at his side.

 

The long, hollow muzzle is pointed at Josh's head, but he's not looking at it. He looks up at Tyler's face, his soft features and his dark brown eyes and tries to make sense of it.

 

Josh's last word is, "Why?"


End file.
